Chapter 29: Stepping on a Jerk

As Magistrate Shen left the village, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen this little girl somewhere before.

Could it be? No, it couldn’t be—she was only five years old.

He shook his head, maybe he’s been too busy lately. No way.

Magistrate Shen hurried with his men toward the cave.

Meanwhile, at Xiaojiu’s courtyard, things were lively.

Tieniu burst in, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Village Chief! Village Chief! The jerk is here!”

He had heard the village chief say last time that a man who hits women is a “jerk.”

The gossip sensors of the kids instantly activated.

“Where? Where?”

“By the river! My auntie was washing clothes there and ran into Zhao Da and his whole family—they cornered my auntie by the river!” Tieniu sounded worried—afraid his aunt might be fooled and taken away by that jerk.

Xiaojiu and the others dashed out of the courtyard, heading straight for the river to catch the commotion while it was fresh.

By the river, a crowd gathered around Sister Xiaoxiao, who was in a bit of a tussle with someone.

Xiaojiu and the others squeezed to the front to get the best spot to watch.

Da Ya glanced around and asked Tieniu, “Where’s your grandma?”

“She went to town,” Tieniu answered.

No wonder Zhao Da’s family dared to stir up trouble—they saw Grandma Xu wasn’t home.

“The chickens at home are acting weird too. They’ve been laying eggs like crazy, and Grandma Xu has to take the eggs to town every few days to sell,” Tieniu added.

Xiaojiu felt a little guilty. What else could it be?

Definitely Cuihua had been feeding chicken feed to the village hens again.

The chicken feed from the system must have some secret ingredients because the hens lay several eggs a day after eating it.

“Xiaoxiao, I’m here to take you home,” Zhao Da said with a foolish grin, reaching out to grab Sister Xiaoxiao.

To outsiders, he looked like a simple man trying to coax his angry wife home.

“Zhao Da, we’re already divorced. Didn’t your mother make that clear last time she was at your house?” Sister Xiaoxiao dodged his hand and stepped back.

Zhao Da thought this woman was ungrateful—he came here personally, in front of everyone, to take her back.

“Xiaoxiao, I really know I was wrong.”

“Shouldn’t he kneel and beg for forgiveness, promise he won’t do it again? Like the village chief said before, once you’ve been beaten once, it only gets worse. A dog won’t stop eating shit,” Da Ya said, looking at Zhao Da.

This was something the village chief had told them: that this is a jerk’s usual tactic, and girls should be careful and not believe their empty promises.

Right after she said that, Zhao Da dropped to his knees with a loud thud before Sister Xiaoxiao.

“Xiaoxiao, please forgive me. I won’t do it again,” he sobbed, tears and snot running down his face.

Xiaojiu and the others looked utterly disgusted.

Sister Xiaoxiao felt sick looking at the man and quickly stepped back to put some distance.

Zhao Da thought someone would back him up, but nobody sympathized with him.

The villagers just laughed. Everyone heard what Da Ya said—wasn’t it true? A dog won’t stop eating shit.

Old Lady Zhao saw Sister Xiaoxiao’s indifferent reaction and quickly chimed in, “Xiaoxiao, Da Lang knows he was wrong and has changed. He’s been thinking about you all along. Even though you can’t have children, he still wants to take you back to live together. Every couple has quarrels—people say fight in the bed, make up by the tail of the bed. Xiaoxiao, just forgive him.”

Zhao Da seized the opportunity while his mother was talking to Xu Xiaoxiao and firmly grabbed Xu Xiaoxiao’s hand, thinking to himself that today he must bring this woman back.

Xu Xiaoxiao saw her hand was grabbed and immediately twisted around to hold Zhao Da’s wrist tightly.

Zhao Da hadn’t even had time to be happy when suddenly he felt dizzy and disoriented.

Without saying a word, Xu Xiaoxiao executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw.

Then, she stepped on Zhao Da’s head with one foot.

“What’s the matter? Want to drag me back to be your family’s beast of burden again?”

“Rebellious! Rebellious! My son!” cried Zhao’s mother, rushing forward.

Xu Xiaoxiao pressed down harder with her foot, and Zhao Da screamed in pain, the surroundings falling silent from shock.

“Let go of my son…” Zhao’s mother hesitated, afraid Xu Xiaoxiao would crush Zhao Da’s head.

Standing on Zhao Da’s head, Xu Xiaoxiao sneered, “You wanted to take me back, huh? Fine. After all those years working like a beast for your family, and all those years you beat me, I need to collect some interest.”

She then stomped harder on him again.

Zhao Da was too hurt to speak or resist; all he wanted was for the foot to move off his head quickly.

Seeing Zhao Da in such a sorry state, his mother dared not insist on taking Xu Xiaoxiao back.

She quickly said, “Let him go, we won’t take you back, please move your foot.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoxiao noticed the desperate pleas and, still annoyed, raised her foot to kick Zhao Da one more time before stepping back and twisting her foot mockingly.

“Get lost. Next time I see you, I’ll beat you again,” Xu Xiaoxiao said coldly as she withdrew her foot.

Zhao’s mother hurriedly helped Zhao Da up and fled with him, tails between their legs.

The villagers of Taoyuan Village were stunned, staring at Xu Xiaoxiao.

“Goodness gracious! Is this really the gentle little Xu girl?”

Seeing all the attention, Xu Xiaoxiao blushed a little and brushed her turquoise hair behind her ear.

“I’ve been training martial arts with the villagers all this time, but never had a chance to see how effective it was. Seems like it’s somewhat useful. I should train harder and keep going.”

At that, the villagers began talking excitedly about martial arts training.

“You think after training this long, I could probably fight three men outside by myself,” said Zhao Dalang, seeing how effective Xu Xiaoxiao’s training was and feeling encouraged after his own hard work.

“Pfft, I’m definitely better than you.”

“Big talk! Next time let’s compete if you dare.”

“Bring it on.”

The men argued loudly, eager to prove who was the strongest.

The women nearby weren’t to be outdone either, each insisting they were tougher than their own husbands.

Zhao Hu watched his father secretly telling the chubby kid beside him, “I’m way stronger than my dad. Even if my dad wanted to hit me now, he can’t catch me.”

“Really?” The chubby kid got excited. If he trained martial arts too, then when his dad tried to hit him, he definitely wouldn’t be able to catch him.

“I can already fly. My dad can’t. My dad’s just stronger now, but when I grow up more, I’ll definitely be stronger than him,” Zhao Hu said confidently.

Seeing the villagers so engaged in talking about martial arts, Xiaojiu thought it was time to organize a martial arts competition for them. After all, the mall had plenty of items to exchange for prizes.

No one noticed Shen Zhiyuan crouching nearby, watching the scene.

At this moment, Shen Zhiyuan’s eyes shone brightly, her mind full of thoughts: “I’ve learned, I’ve learned. Next time I meet a jerk, I’ll handle him just like Sister Xu did.”